Georgia Tech said 15 Yellow Jackets are headed into the 2026 NFL season, with 11 earning spots on active rosters and four more landing on practice squads. The update gives the program a clear count of how many former players are still in the league system as the calendar shifts from training camp toward the regular season.
That is why the UGA football schedule 2026 search is drawing attention now: readers want the roster picture, and Georgia Tech answered it with names and roles. Haynes King is the headliner after he completed 21 of 34 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns in the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, then rushed for 39 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown as time expired. For a player identified as the 2025 ACC Player of the Year, it was a national-stage reminder that his game carries into the next level.
The rest of the list is spread across the NFL in ways that show both range and depth. Keylan Rutledge made an immediate impression on the Texans interior line during training camp. Jordan van den Berg logged four tackles and a stuff with the Bears in preseason action. Rodney Shelley made the 53-man roster for the Los Angeles Chargers, while Eric Rivers and Dean Patterson earned practice squad spots with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
There were also preseason cameos that kept the group in view. Harrison Butker drilled a 69-yard field goal for Kansas City against Tampa Bay, a kick that would have turned heads anywhere, even though his official career long remains 62 yards because preseason numbers do not count in the record book. Zeek Biggers appeared in one preseason game for the Miami Dolphins. Jackson Hawes finished with two catches for eight yards in two preseason games for the Buffalo Bills, EJ Jenkins had two catches for 20 yards in three games for the Philadelphia Eagles, and Jordan Mason added three rushes for 17 yards in one game for the Minnesota Vikings. Darren Waller did not play in preseason for the Carolina Panthers, which makes his spot part of the same broad roster snapshot even without a box score line.
The count matters because it is the simplest measure of Georgia Tech’s footprint entering the season: 15 former Yellow Jackets in the NFL, split between rosters and practice squads, with several already producing in preseason and others waiting for the first regular-season snap. The next checkpoint is the start of the 2026 NFL regular season, when camp momentum stops being a story and the roster decisions start carrying real weight.
